Wolfgang Stocker (wost) – A bit about me

Be aware before you continue to read, here you will find out more about me than you most likely want to know...

Hi, my name is Wolfgang Stocker. I’m a native Austrian, born in 1960 in the beautiful Styrian city Bad Aussee, right in the center of Austria. Klaus Maria Brandauer, world-famous Austrian

actor and film director (Mephisto, Nero, Quo Vadis? Out of Africa), the beautiful Ulla Weigerstorfer,“Miss World” in 1987 and the great Austrian writer Barbara Frischmuth, they all were alsoborn in the same little town, right in the “Green heart of Austria”, in Bad Aussee.To be honest, having a common birthplace with these great people didn’t influence my life at all,spiritual people might think very differently though. Nevertheless I am very proud that I come

from this great place, which obviously is the source of so much artistic and poetic talent.

The early years

Growing up, I lived my early years with my grandparents in Gröbming, a little village in the Ennstal in the Austrian state of Styria. My grandparents – “Opa” and “Oma” – took care of me like parents for the first years of my life. Even though life was tough in the sixties in this tiny mountain village, my grandparents gave me all I needed and most of all the love they had to give. Gröbming was and I think still is definitely one of the best places for kids to grow up. It’s living in the country, in the most beautiful country I might add. Kids can be kids there, play outside without constant supervision. I remember leaving the house after breakfast in the morning and returning home not earlier than dinner time. The daylight was our time keeper. What a life!

"Home base", boarding school and student roomWhen I turned 7, I had to move from my grandparents in Gröbming to my mom to Bischofshofen in the Austrian state of Salzburg. From a little very familiar village where everybody knew my name to a big town where I didn't know a soul. Even though it was only an hour car ride away, the separation from my grandfather gave me a long lasting heartache. My grandmother had died when I was 5, one more reason I wanted to stay with my Opa. But it just had been too much for him to take care of me also, next to his hard work and what life threw at him. Plus I had to go to school in the years to come and needed some super-vision, I was told.

Bischofshofen became some kind of a “home base” for me, nothing more. Also due to the fact that I had been living far away from it, in bording schools, like the “Evangelische Schülerheim” in Bad Goisern and came only "home" on some weekends or school vacation. From age 15 to 19 I lived in Bad Ischl, in a tiny student room, cared for myself and attended the local Commercial Academy where some very patient teachers endlessly tried to push some solid knowledge into my then not so receptive brain. Even though these were tough times for me, mostly alone and never "home", I still mangaged to make some good memories and great friends along the way. Until today my school towns in Upper Austria and people there are dear to my heart.

​​Becoming an "Austrian Abroad"

​My adult and professional life brought me to Hallein, a great city south of Salzburg, very well known for its salt mine and its Celtic history. There I started my career as a newspaper editor and press photographer. In the 1990's I changed my field of work and jumped into marketing, classic and later online with ecommerce. In 2003 I moved to the USA and found my new home as an "Austrian Abroad" in Las Vegas/Nevada. I spent about ten years in “Sin City”, for sure one of the most exciting decades of my life. And no, I didn't gamble at all, not even once. In the following years my journey led me to Florida,​I always had a special feeling for this beautiful south-east state of the US. For some reason I felt kind of home there. Even though I was missing the mountains and seasons at times, as a Floridian I appreciated the ocean and the hot-wet but very lovely weather all year around. There is nothing better than a walk at the beach with your camera ready when the sun rises or sets! Recently I came back to Europe, back to my roots. The past two decades of my life I lived like a wanderer, a nomade. Not my cup of tea but sometimes life makes you do things, I guess. Sometimes I do wonder where I finally will end up, who knows! For now its Austria and Italy.

Pontebba/Italy (2019) – ​Very talented and creative sculptors from not only Italy but also Belarus, the Ukraine, Mongolia, Czech Republic, Germany and Wales/Great Britain showed once again in Pontebba in Friuli-Venezia Giulia during this year's 4th International Snow Sculpture Festival their incredible skills. As if it was not freezing cold enough already, for three days in a row the international artists had to work huge iced snow blocks into amazing pieces of art in open air. Snow Art

Trieste/Italy (2018) – ​Every year on the second Sunday in October the city of Trieste mutates to the Mecca of sailing. This year an estimated 300.000 people populated the city to attend the so called Barcolana in the Golf of Trieste, a true celebration of the sea and the sport of sailing with the main event, the largest sailboat regatta in the world. While the famous boat race is held on Sunday, the Barcolana celebration is spread out over the whole weekend. This year's Barcolana was the 50th

Rovinj/Croatia (2018) – If you look for the romantic charm only an island can produce, the enchantment of a fishermen town and an Italian look and feel, without actually being in Italy, the Istrian city of Rovinj might be just what you are looking for. Even though the Croatian jewel, located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, is by God no secret to the tourism industry, the little fishing port still presents itself as a sleeping beauty, totally ignoring and covering the fact, that it

Rome/Italy (2018) – Walking through Rome is like walking through a gigantic open air museum. I'm quite certain that I share this assessment with most of the tourists visiting the Italian capital. Even Romans themselves say, for example the late Alberto Sordi, beloved Italian actor and film director: "Rome is not like any city, it's a majestic museum, a living room to tiptoe through". The Italian capital is immensely loaded with fascinating excavation sites, literally on every corner is one,

Palmanova, Friuli/Italy (2018) – While the Italian sun merciless heated up the grounds, 45 teams of five different countries showed with their horses and carriages in Friuli's "starred city", Palmanova, what humans and animals can accomplish together if only they understand each other well. The "International Competition of Attacks", organized by the local ANAC COLOC FRIULI lasted three days and demanded not only incredible skills of the carriage drivers and their horses but also all their

Montegabbione, Umbria/Italy (2018) – Hidden in the middle of nowhere land, nestled in an Umbrian forest lie two very special and magical places right next to each other, called "La Scarzuola" – "The Sacred City" and "The Ideal City". Visitors enter the historic former Franciscan monastery and walk right into a dream land, the very surreal world of Tomaso Buzzi (1900 - 1981). The famous Milanese avant-garde architect, eminent and influential in the 1920s and 1930s in Italy, acquired the monastery

Terni, Umbria/Italy (2018) – Generally I do believe that nature by itself provides incredibly raw beauty, but once in a while I have to admit that mankind can definitely contribute to natures efforts in making the world a beautiful place. I'm not talking about putting some flower pots in front of our homes or planting bushes and trees here and there. In the Italian region Umbria you'll find an example I'm talking about: the Cascata delle Marmore, a man-made waterfall, created by the ancient

Sansepolcro/Italy (2018) – Just as I was about to walk through an ancient arch of the fortified city walls into the historic old town of Sansepolcro in the southeast of Tuscany, bordering Umbria and Marche, the sound of loud howling engines suddenly grabbed my attention. I knew this sound, this had to be a Ferrari. Indeed there it was, one of Enzo Ferrari's treasures from Maranello, driving down the alley in all its beauty, red, shiny and roaring. And there was another one coming and another

Assisi, Umbria/Italy (2018) – When lots of men in long brown robes walk in the heat of the day next to you, looking like monks but acting like tourists, strolling around on busy squares and walking the same alleys as you do with the same goal in mind to reach a very beautiful sight, then you know, you're close to a sacred destination. And if you see Saint Francis, the founder of the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor in 1208 and co-patron saint of Italy, looking at you from souvenir stands,

Assisi, Umbria/Italy (2018) – Umbria/Italy (2018) – When we talk about Italy's beautiful landscape, we always refer immediately to Tuscany. And rightfully so I think because there is a reason why most of us consider it a piece of heaven. Much less attention gets Tuscany's neighbor, Umbria, which really is incomprehensible, especially once you've seen it. It is not so much different from Tuscany, how could it be anyway, nature, people and style usually don't change much within a close by

Lake Como – Cernobbio, Tremezzo, Bellagio (2018) – Italy definitely offers a lot of places where one can feel utterly heavenly. I'm not spilling any secrets when I tell you that one of these divine spots can be found in Northern Italy's Lombardy region. North of Milan, where Italy meets the Alps, close to the Swiss border, there it lays, the breathtaking jewel Lake Como. The 30 miles (50 Kilometer) long "Y" shaped lake with its gorgeous villages at its shoreline is considered an Italian gem...

Fagagna/Friuli, Italy (2017) – Every first Sunday in September, since 1861, locals and many visitors from near and far gather around the beautiful market square of Fagagna in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, near the northern Italian city Udine, to witness a very traditional and truly unique spectacle: the "Corse dai mus", the race of the donkeys. Yeah I know, it sounds funny at first but it really isn't. Sure, the thought of donkeys racing around a track puts a smile in every sour face, but don't be

Diavolezza/Switzerland (2017) – Yes, it gets hot in summer, we get that. But that hot?
Somebody has to talk to the responsible otherwise we all will soon run for the mountains where temperatures still can be endured. There is literally nothing cooler than to be at a glacier by the way on a hot August summer day. Trust me, I've checked it out this year, while on a journey through the Engadine valley with the "Trainino Rosso" in Switzerland. If there is a desire in you to see a glacier from the

Tirano/Italy, St. Moritz/Switzerland (2017) – Since August of this year I have something in common with one of the greatest generals and military strategists in history, Hannibal, we both crossed the Alps. Of course each one of us did it with style, Hannibal on a war elephant and I on the coolest train in the Alps, the Bernina Express. The little red train, how the Bernina Express is also called, is part of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and links the famous St. Moritz in Switzerland with the town

Livigno/Italy (2017) – To trade sandy beaches for grassland in high altitude for a little summer vacation seems wrong already at the first thought. Especially in Italy, where the beaches and the sea are a synonym for "La dolce vita". It's tough to turn your back on something you know would be great and instead try something you can't even predict the outcome because you know literally nothing about it. Well, I did the unthinkable anyway in this year's so very hot August and drove up north,

Passariano/Codroipo, Villa Manin/Italy (2017) – ​The "Villa Manin" in Passariano/Codroipo has already something noble about it. But add some very strong and elegant horses pulling vintage carriages to the former property of one of the last doges of Venice and let people in traditional and historic clothing guide them through an obstacle course right on the Manin's former front lawn and you have the perfect picture of this year's "5th International Competition of Tradition Attacks" in Friuli.

Positano, Amalfi Coast/Italy (2017) – "Positano bites deep", wrote the American author John Steinbeck in his essay for the "Harpers Bazaar" in 1953 and introduced with that the true pearl of the Italian Amalfi coast to the world. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone", wrote the winner of "Pulitzer Prize" and "Nobel Prize" and opened with that the floodgate for Positano's tourism. Ever since the "vertical village" ranks as

Naples/Italy (2017) – "Rome is stately and impressive; Florence is all beauty and enchantment; Genoa is picturesque; Venice is a dream city; but Naples is simply fascinating", wrote Emily Lilian Whithing (1847-1942), an American journalist, poet and story teller in her book "Italy: The Magic Land". Naples couldn't receive a greater and more fitting compliment. Even though the city has to fight so many misconceptions – dirty, dangerous, unfriendly – once given the chance to convince visitors from

Capri/Italy (2017) – It is considered a sign of great popularity when a song is written about a place and performed worldwide for decades. The "Isle of Capri" is such a song. Since it was written in 1934, many famous singer carried the Italian island's name out into the world and multiple times and in many languages around the globe. But Capri's fame doesn't come from this song, the great island in the bay of Naples, belonging to Italians region Campania, has a long history as a resort, starting

Abbey Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Tuscany/Italy (2017) – Where the green rolling hills of the Tuscan landscape all of the sudden end and the rather harsh looking land of the Crete Senesi takes over, there you'll find Tuscany's most-visited abbey, the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore. With that you meet the brotherhood of the Monaci Benedettini di Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto and my new found friend Brother Joseph. The monastery is renowned for its great Renaissance frescoes in the "Chiostro Grande"

Lake Como – Cernobbio, Tremezzo, Bellagio (2018) – Italy definitely offers a lot of places where one can feel utterly heavenly. I'm not spilling any secrets when I tell you that one of these divine spots can be found in Northern Italy's Lombardy region. North of Milan, where Italy meets the Alps, close to the Swiss border, there it lays, the breathtaking jewel Lake Como. The 30 miles (50 Kilometer) long "Y" shaped lake with its gorgeous villages at its shoreline is considered an Italian gem...

Val d'Orcia, Tuscany/Italy (2017) – I have seen big and small, vibrant and busy cities, secluded but cozy and beautiful places, I have seen gorgeous locations in the mountains, at the sea, on islands and even in the desert. And a while ago I had already come to the following conclusion: no matter where you are, something will excite you or it won't fulfill your expectations, something you see or experience will leave you with a good or a bad feeling. It's just like that, pretty simple

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I love what I do and do what I love – My recipe for happinessI love what I do and I always try to do what I love. Sometimes it becomes a bit stressful since I love so many things. If I would have to name them, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Let’s cover some: Sports played always a major role in my life and so did photography. With the combination of it I earned some of my income for many years. As an editor and press photographer with the focus also on sports I had more than enough opportunities to enjoy my passion on a daily basis. I did what I loved and even got paid for it. I have thousands of film negatives, black and whites, slides and color prints in my photo archive, telling stories of the coolest sports competitions I had the pleasure to attend. It still makes me smile to think about all the amazing sport events I covered, also because there I met some of the world best and coolest athletes. World Cups and World Championships in alpine skiing for example, World Championships in motorcycle, motocross tournaments, judo and wrestling tournaments, table tennis competitions, ski jumping events and so on. The list is almost endless. I’ve also photographed at the “Race across America” as a team member of an Austrian biker participating in the race in the nineties, one of the crazier experiences in my life.

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Traveling and photography is my fun comboOver the years I have developed a great passion for traveling. Maybe because it always comes with lots of great photo opportunities. I like talking to people, but prefer the ones, who really have something to say. Believe it or not, I like to talk about all kind of things, not only about photography. I am very interested in technology which by the way makes me spend way too much time in front of my laptop. I try to fix everything, I consider myself a DIY guy.

I also cook and bake. I don’t think I’m a great chef though, but I can prepare some cool meals from scratch. All thanks to my mom, who once really rocked in her own restaurant and absolutely knew how to culinary please her guests. What my mom didn’t teach me in the kitchen, my lovely school teacher in cooking class did. Believe it or not, I went for some years to cooking class, voluntarily but I admit, it was more for this beautiful girl than for the lesson. I would say I bake pretty well. A passion, I revived when moving to the US. In Las Vegas I was missing “my Austrian bread” and some traditional cakes and cookies. Since I couldn’t buy them, I started to bake them. With that I also began to bake cookies for Christmas, yummy cakes for birthdays or just some muffins or cup cakes for guests.

I love to laugh. Someone who can make me laugh has my full attention in seconds. A funny movie can clue me to a TV or lure me to a cinema. I have a great passion for American football and of course for soccer. I’m a true fan of Bavaria Munich/Germany since I hit a soccer ball myself for the first time, decades ago. There I’ve said it: I am a proud Austrian cheering for a German soccer team! Yes I know, kind of breaching the Austrian style but it's worth it, trust me! Soccer time is like Christmas once a week for me and when my Bavarians play I don't like to be disturbed.

Friends were always important to me, they kind of replaced my family when I was gone form "home". With the years friends became even more important. Even though they are spread out all over the world, I manage to stay in contact and keep them very close to my heart. When it comes to it, that’s all you have.

“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” – (Helen Keller)

Art fascinates me – Photography is my creative outletArt in every form fascinates me. Whenever I have the opportunity I love to go and see the work of the old master. To stand in front of the final sculptural masterpiece by Michelangelo, the “Last Pietà”, in the “Castello Sforzesco” in Milan/Italy, gave me goosebumps. Also to have seen the original “Last Supper” from Leonardo da Vinci in the monastery of “Santa Maria delle Grazie” in Milan/Italy was truly special. But it doesn’t have to be art on the level of these great legends to excite me. Over the years I became friends with some very talented artists, whose work just amazes me again and again. I wish I would have only a bit of their talent.

Sometimes you just have to capture the momentVery early on in my life I understood that sometimes you not only want but you strongly feel the need to capture a certain moment – in words and pictures. I think it was the reason I became a journalist and a press photographer. By the way: from the time when I worked as an editor and press photographer results the acronym “WOST” (for WOlfgang STocker). I had to use "wost" to sign my articles and photos for the newspaper. It kind of stuck with me all these years, until today. It was a given to keep using it also for my photo work today and also for my website "WOSTPHOTO". I’ve taken countless photos over the years for papers and magazines and in all scopes of life. It was always my goal, not only to illustrate, but also to tell a story. Even though I quit working as a full-time editor and switched over into the marketing field, I have kept my love for photography and writing alive.​

I love technology, some even say I am a geekSince I’m a real tech freak – I love every new gadget, like phones, tablets, smart TV or pc and laptop. I’m fascinated by everything which makes life better and more convenient. I am one of those people who never read instructions and rarely ask people for help. I know, I know… I trust the tech stuff I have set up around me. Like a navigation system. When driving by car in an unknown area I completely trust “Iris” my good friend inside my “Navigation System”. Even though she pisses me off at times, when she wants me to make a U-turn on a highway or tells me to keep making a left into a lake. But the way I see it is: in 90 percent of all cases “Iris” does a great job, how much more could I possible ask from her.

Since I am open for all new things, it was a given to also make the switch to digital photography, with all the pros and cons. It excited me to play on such a huge new playground. After all these years in the darkroom, developing my pictures during the night hours, digital photography seemed to be the break I always was hoping for. Taking pictures the way we do nowadays is a walk in the park comparing with the analog history as I remember it. I love the new technology even with all its faults. There are quite some of them and I have to admit, at times it’s even frustrating with “digital”. But still, the advantages are priceless at the end. I was a Nikon guy as a press photographer during the analog time, and now in the digital era I am still loyal to the brand. Don’t ask me why, I guess once Nikon always Nikon. The D 7000 and D7200 are the bodies of my choice for now.

With digital photography I discovered a different kind of love for photography and discovered the beauty of post production. The fact that I can influence the outcome of a shoot long after it happened and can change it around as I please, is the ultimate fun for me. I’m fascinated by the possibilities I have today, using my captured moments in all kind of digital work, like composites for instance. With a little creativity, computer knowledge and the right software even simple photos become ART.

The world is very beautiful, you just have to see it

On my website “WOSTPHOTO“ I give you a little insight of what I’m doing with my photography. I look at the world from its beautiful side and try not only to capture but somehow “paint” the best moments with my Nikon. I’ve included a portfolio and a photo blog. The blog is not an examination of photography in general but a “light” way to show and share my photography. Things here on these sites will always change since I will always add new photos and posts. The photos you see are all taken by me and are all copyrighted, the posts you read are all exclusively written by me and no one else and of course, express only my opinion.

I hope you like what you see and if you do so come back any time for another visit. If you like, you can always get in touch with me via the comment area. Let me know some of your thoughts about the photos and stories or tell me about your experience on WOSTPHOTO. It will be always very much appreciated. You can also follow me on Facebook or
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